CSI: CRIME scene investigation

Season 4 - Episode 19 - Bad Words

Written by Sarah Goldfinger
Directed by Rob Bailey

A mother, a young boy, and a grandmother are evacuated from a raging house fire, and it appears that everyone is safe, until the firemen discover the body of a teenager who was not supposed to be home that night. The CSIs, on the scene early because of a previous fire in the same neighborhood, thought they were looking for a serial arsonist, but with the discovery of Sabrina Abernathy’s body, they’re now looking for a murderer.

Their investigation turns up a possible m.o. that matches the earlier fire – newspapers which may have been used in setting the one in the Abernathy house are found in the garage. A check of the looky-loo photos Nick took at the scene reveals the identity of one Viva Charles, who has a record for attempted arson. Under questioning, Viva insists she has an impulse control disorder. “I don’t burn down houses and kill children,” she insists, and while she may be crazy, she may not be their killer.

The team tries to relate the match found at the first scene with a match found at Viva’s house, but no luck. Sabrina’s mother Jessica had minimal insurance on the house, so there was nothing for her to collect. Sabrina had exposed a student athlete hazing scandal in an article for her school newspaper, and was being targeted by one of the ballplayers, giving the CSIs yet another suspect, but with little evidence to prove anyone’s guilt.

A cigarette filter from the Abernathy house may give them the break they need. Jessica claims that no one in the house smoked, but it turns out that Jessica’s mother Martha has been lying about her nicotine habit. Could the grandmother have started the fire in the living room? Because of her declining mental state, Jessica had been locking her mother in her room at night, to prevent just such an accident happening, which is when the team discovers that they have been looking in the wrong room of the Abernathy house, and looking at the wrong member of the Abernathy family as a suspect.

Meanwhile, Grissom and Sara investigate the asphyxiation death of a champion logos player, who has swallowed – or been forced to swallow -- 6 tiles. In this highly competitive game, suspects are aplenty among the victim’s opponents, including the last person to play in the tournament against him, who may have thought with the champion out of the way, the big cash prize would be his.